Summer GouldDirect mail is a commonly seen as an outdated marketing channel. However, in 2022 direct mail gets the best ROI of any marketing channel. Did you know that 62% of consumers who responded to direct mail in the past three months made a purchase? You can create results like this!
The best direct mail is sent to the right person with the right offer at the right time. This can be made easier with personalization. Not just the kind of personalization where you add the recipient’s name, but the kind where you send them messaging based on what they like.
Many marketers focus on design elements to get their mail to stand out in the mailbox. That is no longer enough. Yes, design is important, but your messaging and offer are critical to drive response. You can have the best design in the world, but if your message is not sent to the right person, you will not get the response you need.
Let’s start off with a staggering number from a university; they achieved a 35% lift over previous static direct mail pieces, when they decided to go with a personalized mail piece. You can read the whole case study by downloading it here.
Basically, the story is about how the university wanted to increase student applications. They thought that a way to do that was to add personalization. It worked beyond expectation. One of the best things about direct mail marketing is how targeted you can get.
How can you do this?
- Look at your data: In many cases you have more information in your data than you think. Most of the time you know gender, age, what they have purchased from you before and so on. It never hurts to send out surveys or ask questions when they purchase in order to fill in more information. The more you know the better you will be able to target your messaging.
- Create segments: Group people together based on similarity. Ideally you are finding people with like purchasing personas. After all, you are trying to get them to buy from you. This will allow you to target each segment with a message that is relevant to them.
- Create messaging: Now that you have your segments you need to create your messages. Each message should be tailored to what appeals to that segment. You can find people in your life that are similar to your segments and ask them for feedback on your message to make sure that what you are trying to say is understood correctly.
Don’t create “run of the mill” direct mail piece. Stand out to each recipient by offering them what they want to see. A survey conducted by Prospectiv that was published in Brand Week states that 80 percent of consumers said personalized coupons tailored to their interest would increase the likelihood of coupon use.
Personalization works for more than just coupons. In a case study from McNellie’s restaurant, they wanted to generate interest in a new restaurant they opened. In order to get the word out they created a mailer with personalized maps to their location to 2,500 surrounding residents. The result was a 24% response rate. Six hundred of the 2,500 people contacted came to the restaurant. Think of all the great ways you can leverage personalization in your direct mail. Get creative, have fun and drive your response rates higher. Are you ready to get started?
Don’t miss Summer Gould speaking live at BRAND United University this October 19-20 in Las Vegas, co-located with PRINTING United Expo. Register today!
